Lint, dust and waste fibers tend to accumulate on the knitting machine parts and are occasionally knitted into the fabric causing defects in the knitted fabric and, in some cases, causing damage to the knitting needles and other parts of the knitting machine. Various types of air blowing cleaning devices have been provided for blowing away and removing the lint and waste fibers before they can accumulate to the point that they cause damage to the machine and/or the knit fabric.
These known devices usually include one or more air ejecting pipes with an opening or nozzle at the outer end. These air ejecting pipes are usually rotated in the same or opposite directions to that of the revolving needle cylinder and are normally directed to blow lint and waste fibers from various locations on the knitting machine.
Japanese Patent Publication No. SHO 52-33705 discloses an arrangement of air ejecting pipes which rotate in the opposite direction to that of the revolving needle cylinder so that the speed of travel of the air ejecting pipe moving past a given location is determined by the speed of rotation of the needle cylinder plus the speed of rotation of the air ejecting pipe. Thus, the relative speed of travel of the air ejecting pipe is so fast that effective lint removal is not obtained. In an attempt to overcome this problem, it has been proposed that a plurality of air ejecting pipes be provided. However, when a plurality of air ejecting pipes is provided, the air pressure drops and thereby lowers the lint removing effectiveness of the lint removing apparatus.